


shadow

by tltw



Category: Monsta X (Band)
Genre: M/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Supernatural Elements, Witch Curses, oh and memes, really its just hwh becoming friends, shadow!hyungwon, thats it enjoy
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-05-19
Updated: 2019-05-18
Packaged: 2020-03-07 15:15:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,976
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18875776
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tltw/pseuds/tltw
Summary: He doesn’t remember the year it all started. He doesn’t remember how long it’s been, or where his original home is, which is a particularly difficult and unique kind of pain to manage. This must be the kind of pain a grandparent would feel when they can’t remember the faces of their children, but he doesn’t want to presume. After all, he can remember.





	shadow

**Author's Note:**

> for hyungwon bingo! today's prompt is: "Shadow"!
> 
> Enjoy!

The worst part about his existence was how many people he fell for.

It’s rather childish, at least in his eyes, how often it happens. Despite somehow convincing himself he isn’t really a romantic person, he still finds himself looking like one more often than not. Or rather, he finds some kind of joy in watching the lives of others and find this pragmatic beauty in them as they go about their every day. Or he just enjoys torturing himself. Or maybe he’s just bored. He isn’t sure. It could be any of those, he doesn’t really care too much at this point.

He does care. Much more than he’d ever let himself believe he does. 

He’s lost count at the current point and time. His since long gone friends would laugh at him for being so gushy about nearly everyone he meets when he was so against it back as a naive child with a future of anything but a living on the ground as a shadow in mind.

The last was Sangha. A lovely scientist running around making discovery after discovery in the 80's, who ended up in a horrible accident in one of her most ambitious studies. He misses her, yes, but he’s been through it plenty of times before, will be plenty of times again.

Before that was a soldier fighting in World War 2, who was beyond handsome, one of the most handsome men he’s ever had the pleasure of following. But it’s anyone’s guess how short lived that crush was.

There was also a man he followed until his peaceful death at an old age, which he felt was one of the harder one’s to deal with, but nothing he wasn’t used to at this point.

He doesn’t remember the year it all started. He doesn’t remember how long it’s been, or where his original home is, which is a particularly difficult and unique kind of pain to manage. This must be the kind of pain a grandparent would feel when they can’t remember the faces of their children, but he doesn’t want to presume. After all, he can remember. He has a vague feeling what it looked like, and his original family too. But he’s traveled and seen so much that if he was asked to trek back to his original home,  he wouldn’t be able to find the right way.

Not like it would still be there.

The world has changed so much, his humble abode his mother and father built with their bare hands is most likely now a condo, or a coffee shop or something.

He got over that years ago, though.

He should consider himself lucky. His friends? His first boyfriend? His family? They’ll never know what smart phones and vibrators are. 

They’re dead. 

And even if he himself can’t use them, or partake in any “memes” as people seem to be calling them, at least he gets to know what they are instead of rattling bones 6 feet under.

Hell, he’s practically immortal. He’s learned through following Sangha once that the world is going to end one day, all humans and animals vanishing under the fire of an expanding sun. He’s wondered for a long time if he, as a shadow, would keep living after that happens. Though he sure the hell hopes not. 

As luxurious as being technically immortal is, floating in space, truly alone, would be an even more tortuous endeavor than anything he’s dealt with so far.

If there’s one thing he’ll never forget it’s his name. When this had first happened, he soon realized that not being able to speak, or communicate at all had taken a toll on him. As much as a shadow could possibly panic, that’s what he did. And for a long time.

He promised himself. 

His name is Hyungwon. Without that, he just is, and always will be, a shadow.

This time however, he’s found someone he thinks might be more handsome than anyone he’s ever met. He recalls thinking that once before… But he’s sure this time. Definitely.

He’s predictable. Predictable as hell and he hates it. The guy is buff, buff, buff, with an awesome set of… pectorals. And on top of that he has a baby face that looks more innocent than any kid he’s ever shadowed.

He started shadowing him because of his destructive good looks, yet soon finds out that the baby face has significance, as he wouldn’t harm a single thing in his path. A spider was once crawling along his shadow, and all he wanted to do was cower, and had to call his less appetizing roommate, Ki-something, to come let it outside, not killing it, of course. 

He’d laugh if he could, at how goddamn jarring his entire person is.

He’s sitting now, in front of a band of small trees outside his house, watering them, and giving them encouraging words. The non-existent blood vessels in his non-existent cheeks form a soft rose color watching him look so ethereal under the bright sunlight.

“You’re gonna grow up to be big and strong, all of you.” He says not caring a bit that the people opposite his house can very obviously hear him. 

“I put lots of healthy stuff in the water, Hyunwoo recommended it to me. You’re going to love it.” He scrunches his nose in a smile.

_ They can’t hear you, you know. _

He thinks it to himself causing Hoseok to stir, looking around shocked for a moment.

“Who said that?” Hoseok says aloud.

Hyungwon mirrors his confused expression. 

_ You heard that? _

“Y-Yes, I did…” He admits, a little more skeptical now, looking around to see if he can find any kind of source for the voice.

_ You heard… me? Really? _

“Where are you? Stop messing with me! I get scared really easily, this isn’t nice!” He yells, again, not caring for a second about his poor neighbors.

_ I’m down here! On the ground! _

Hoseok looks down as instructed, jumping noticing his Shadow has taken the form of some skinny dude with mid length hair, and looks nothing like his muscular sun hat wearing self.

“What the hell is this…!” He observes his now lost shadow and gets closer by crouching to the ground, only making it harder to get a look at his replaced shadow. “This is a pretty vivid hallucination. I’ve never had this happen before.” He says, mildly concerned.

_ I’m not a hallucination! I’m real. _

“I’m not so sure… Though, I’ve never been one for hallucinations. And I’ve never taken drugs,  _ and _ I’m not sick or on any type of weird medication. I might believe you if you have some kind of proof.” He says with the kind of reason you wouldn’t expect to get from someone talking to a shadow on the ground.

_ How the hell am I supposed to prove something like realness? _

Hoseok scratches his head trying to think of something, and failing of course. “I’m not sure.” He says bluntly.

_ Whatever. I could care less if you think I’m real or not. This is the most exciting thing to happen to me in hundreds of years. _

“What are you? Are you a cryptid? You look like one.” Hoseok says.

_ Thanks? But no, I’m not. A thousand years ago a witch cursed me to live as a shadow for all eternity, unable to communicate with anyone. Shit sucks. _

“Wow. that stinks... Sounds like something someone would make up and write a story about. Probably online about someone they don’t know.” The shadow visibly groans by putting his hands on his hips.

_I figured if I ever was able to tell anyone my tale they would would feel sorry for me._ _I had to watch my family die, you know._

“Really?” He asks, a little hint of sadness in his voice.

_ Yes. I’ve met hundreds and hundreds of people, some I unfortunately ended up falling in love with. And every one of them I’ve had to watch disappear and move on, unable to speak a word to them. _

“So how can you speak to me?” He asks this, and the two end up sitting together for a contemplative moment of silence.

_ I don’t know. But, I’m glad I can. _

Hoseok cheeks match the color of the peonies on the other side of his garden. He smiles, somehow unperturbed by the whole situation, and the fact that a mere shadow could make him feel some kind of way.

“What’s your name? Mine’s Hoseok.”

The shadow visibly chuckles.

_ I know your name. I’ve been living in your shadow for a couple of weeks now. _

Hoseok gives a look of distraught, suddenly concerned about this whole thing that’s happening. “All the time? Like, all day?!” He shouts in fear.

_ Don’t worry, I’ve seen much worse than anything you’ve done. Living for hundreds of years desensitizes you to a lot of things. _

“I don’t care! It’s my body, I don’t want you looking!” He shouts again, finally noticing his neighbors peeking at him from across the street. Nonchalantly he waves at them back, turning so he’s not facing them, as if that will help. 

_ Okay, I promise I won’t do it anymore. _

“Who says I even gave u permission to live here?” He snarls gently.

_ You didn’t, I did. But if you want me to leave I will. _

“No, no, no! I didn’t mean that…”  He chuckles at him. “Just tell me who you are, really.”

He props himself up, moving his arms out and rather than just saying it, he mimes out the letters doing shadow puppets on the ground. He spells out:

H-Y-U-N-G-W-O-N

“Hyungwon? That’s your name?” Hyungwon the shadow nods. “It’s pretty.” He smiles and Hyungwon feels the centuries of love and desire he’s had all go out the window for this one man. He nods silently thanking him for the compliment.

“Have you ever figured out how to break the witches curse?” Hoseok asks.

_ If I had, would I be here now? _

“Oh, right.” He rubs the back of his head, feeling silly. “But maybe there’s something we could do. I mean, I’m the first person you’ve talking to since this happened, right?”

_ That’s right. _

“Then, I’m sure there’s something we can find!” The starlight in his eyes lights up in his speech. 

_ I wouldn’t stress yourself over this. I don’t care too much now. I’m used to it. I’m fine with just being able to talk to someone is all. To be able to talk to you. _

“That’s lame. You’ve made a breakthrough after all this time, and you don’t wanna do anything about it?” He’s going back and forth between caring determination and being lowkey judgy and Hyungwon almost finds it cute.

_ Eh _

Is all Hyungwon the shadow can really say.

“No. I did not just get settled up with the most boring cryptid in the world.”

_ I’m not a cryptid! _

“We’re going to find a cure! An antidote. We’ll get you outta there!” He stands up in fury and points at him like he’s a cat in a cage that needs to be set free. Hyungwon cocks his head in confusion wondering exactly what it is he got himself into. Hyungwon shows his sigh by dropping his shoulders.

_ Okay, But on one condition. _

Hoseok crouches back down looking curious. “What’s that?”

Hyungwon pauses, unsure of how to deliver what he’s going to say.

_...I haven’t had one in quite some time. Will you… be my friend? _

Hoseok smiles showing off his bright teeth and cute scrunchy nose instantly. “Of course!”

Hyungwon shyly extends his hand out, Hoseok slamming his hand onto the concrete to touch him by some manner, and promptly lifts his hand back up and screams from the pain the pebbles inflicted on his palm.

He seems to have found himself a perfect partner for this.

**Author's Note:**

> hi SORRY this was so short but, honestly i was thinking of writing more for this? actually, i already have. but i have no idea where to go, so i wanted to post this for the bingo and maybe add more on later!! anyways thank you for reading!!!!!! please kudos and comment if you like it!!


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